Chickpea Quinoa Caprese Salad

A few weeks ago I was craving a traditional caprese salad, which is mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil. This fabulous trio screams summertime to me. I wanted to kick it up a notch and add something hearty and protein-y, so I added quinoa and chickpeas. Chickpeas are the answer to everything for me. 😉 And quinoa… I’ve been adding that to almost every lunch lately. I’m sure that my husband is cringing as he reads this because he’s not a fan of quinoa. Not at all. He can even detect the smell of it cooking from the next room.

You can use a variety of dressings to top this salad. Today, I shared a lemon and oil dressing which is light and just coats everything. If you like a lot of dressing then you may want to make more than what the directions call for. A balsamic vinaigrette dressing would also be a delightful option because balsamic vinegar is a great compliment to the tomato, mozzarella cheese and basil combo. I also like to use Ken’s Steak House Lite Caesar Dressing if I don’t feel like making a homemade dressing.

I’ve been eating this salad like it’s going out of style so I finally decided that I had to share it with you. I’ve also enjoyed this salad with a meat twist by adding sliced deli turkey and it’s equally delightful. I’m sure grilled chicken would be a great alternative too. I usually tend to go for the vegetarian option most of the time. However, I wanted to give you options because variety is the spice of life, right? I think so, especially when it comes to lunch friendly options because I’m always on the hunt for the my new favorite make-ahead lunch.

Chickpea Quinoa Caprese Salad Recipe
(4 servings)

Ingredients for Salad:

1 cup dried quinoa (I used a combination of white and red quinoa because I didn’t have enough of either one.)

1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, chopped

about 20 cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

sprinkling of fresh basil, chopped

Ingredients for Lemon Dressing:

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh if you got it)

1/2 garlic clove, minced

pinch of pepper

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon (dried) oregano

Directions for Salad:

Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package and then set it aside to cool.